PS VR Hardware Review

Hello PS3imports, I'm Tenshi and this'll be my third Hardware Review for you guys and gals. Today I'll be reviewing the PlayStaion VR headset, the first modern VR foray by any of the major console manufacturers. My intentions are to inform, answer any questions you might have, and provide a thought out, somewhat wordy, opinion on why you should or shouldn't jump into this piece of tech. If paragraphs aren't your thing don't worry, I'll have a "pros and cons" list down at the bottom. Remember a review is just a long-winded opinion, if you disagree don't take it personally! You're free to voice counter-opinions. Just as a disclaimer, I'm not a professional writer or journalist, I am compensated in no way for my reviews. Thanks for your time and Enjoy!

(Further disclaimer: I do not yet own a PS VR myself, but I have about 12 hours of time with one thanks to a friend.)

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Part 1: What's in the box, and Specs.

So what's in the box?

PlayStation VR Headset (CUH-ZVR1)

Auxiliary Processing Unit

User Manuals

Stereo Ear buds (They're cheap tho)

One USB cable

One High-Speed HDMI Cable

AC Adapter and Power Cord

One PS VR Headset Adapter Cable

A Demo Disc (Content varies by region)

There is a bundle sold which contains PS Move and PS Camera accessories. It should be noted that you must have the camera for VR to work.

Let's check those specs.

(Sony doesn't make it easy though, not much is known about the processing box for example.)

Well I'd like to point out that at the moment the PS VR is a bit secretive concerning all of it's hardware magic. It's actually a nice headset for the price, it's not as pretty or high-tech as Vive but it's also half the price. I think like the PS4 Pro, Sony is offering a really good deal here for what you get. The ear buds this thing comes with though are quite cheap, if you want really good audio you're gonna have to bring your own headphones.

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Part 2: The Games, The Experience.

When Sony launched the PS VR they stated 230 Game Developers were working on content for PS VR, and that by the end of 2016 at least 50 games would be out for it. Time will tell how true this pans out to be, but you can find a surprisingly up-to-date list of games here: https://en.wikipedia...tation_VR#Games

Unfortunately, at the moment PS VR doesn't have many "must have" titles, but here is a small list of stand-out titles which I think show-off VR to great effect.

Driveclub VR

EVE Valkyrie

RIGS: MCL

Robinson: The Journey (From Crytek)

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

The future does look a bit better though. Resident Evil VII, Final Fantasy XV and XIV will have VR content, Ace Combat 7, Golem, DOOM, Hatsune Miku, Hellgate and more all look quite promising. For me personally, I must admit it is the Japanese VR scene, indie and big name, which is interesting me the most.

Summer Lesson Updates

Granblue Fantasy

Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash

Danganronpa VR

Last Labyrinth

Story of the Star Fragment

Princess Maker

... and so, so much more. The future for PS VR is very bright if development continues as promised.

That said, you'll notice a distinct lack of pictures for these games in my review. The truth is it's hard to talk about VR, especially to people who haven't tried it yet. VR is an experience more than anything else and to convey that experience with words, well I'm not sure it can be done without a bunch of weird comparisons. To be honest, most VR games so far aren't terribly pretty, at least not on the level you've come to associate with modern PS4 games. PS4 Pro helps a little bit, boosting games in small, but sometimes visually significant ways... Alas, the true beauty of VR games isn't something that can be shown. You have to try them, you have to strap the screen in front of your face and be immersed into these worlds.

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Part 3: So is VR for you?

Admittedly it's hard to convince someone to spend $399 or more (if you don't own the camera already) on what most perceive to be little more than an accessory. There are also a couple other things to consider aside from your budget. Do you have enough space in the room where you play? Do you get motion-sickness easily? Are you prone to eye strain or headaches? These are all very real concerns that you should consider before investing in the PS VR, or any VR for that matter.

At the moment, VR is an enthusiasts hobby. You gotta have the drive, the want, to try it out. You also need the money and for $399 I'd say Sony's recently released PS4 Pro is the better choice. With Pro, at the very least you can be sure you're playing all your games at their absolute best in the console space, and should you get PS VR later, you'll get the best there too. PS VR doesn't seem to have any "must-have" titles right now, and if I'm being brutally honest some of it's highest rated content at the moment is based on bite-sized thrills which make The Order 1886's original $60 release price actually look decent on a price to content ratio.

For casual Gamers, and Gamers on a budget... I cannot recommend the PS VR right now. Despite being the best VR headset on the market in terms of value, the game library just doesn't justify it yet.

Now, for Trophy hunters, PlayStation enthusiasts, and thrill seekers? VR is probably for you. Trophy hunters have noted that current VR games maintain a trend of easy trophies and are already figuring out ways to fool the headset into believing it's being worn so trophies can be earned while not even wearing the thing. Thrill seekers are probably the most catered to audience right now, most of PS VR's launch line-up does a decent job at hyping up the machine and giving the end user a peak at the possibilities of VR in the gaming world. I can only imagine that with time, the experiences will get better. PlayStation enthusiasts will notice that Sony's Marketing is really hammering away at VR. They've admitted "word of mouth" will be the biggest boost to sales, but if you've been watching their PR material since E3 there is a clear trend that they are committed to making PS VR successful and desperately trying to partner with as many studios as possible even just for tie-in material.

Because VR is hard to sell, hard to explain, the best I can do is say that if you're interested you need to research PS VR. It's a big investment and can seem superfluous. Make sure there are games you are interested in, make sure you can handle the physical space requirements for any games which require you to be moving, and make sure you understand the physical risks with VR. (Motion-sickness and Eye-strain/headaches being the biggest ones.)

If you can buy into the hype and convince yourself that the future of PS VR will be bountiful you'll likely find it a bit easier to jump in sooner. That's where I stand personally. I'm not at all convinced that PS VR is worth it right now, but I'll be getting one anyway hoping and preying that Japan takes a liking to it and develops many unique experiences for it.

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Part 4: The TL:DR, Pros and Cons.

Pros:

A new and unique way to experience games.

PS VR is technically sound at it's price point.

Future support looks great, but time will tell.

Very positive word of mouth in general.

For trophy hunters, easy trophies seem to be an early trend.

Cons:

Regular PS4 users will be getting sub-par experiences.

Current game library is lacking.

Somewhat hectic setup, lots of wires and the extra processing box.

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Part 5: Conclusion

Time to wrap up my third review now. Hopefully you're walking away from this a bit more informed, VR is a hard sell right now though. It's even harder to explain in words the type of entertainment it provides. Still, Sony has managed to put forth a VR machine which is quite competitive in terms of tech and price. It certainly has a market and I hope it does well enough to stick around and garner some much needed support. Oddly the demo disc which comes with the PS VR has some regional differences, the content available on the NA version dwarfs the European version by more than double. Importers may wish to consider this...

And now the curtains must close. As always I welcome feedback, good or bad, I'll take it on the chin! Feel free to argue my points or ask questions, I'm quite active here and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. Once more I thank you all for your time and hope you enjoyed this review of the PS VR.

PS VR released on October 13th World-Wide, at $399 USD, $549 CAD, €399, £349, and ¥44,980.

3 Comments

And there you have it. I've christened our VR discussion board, and opened the flood gates.

Even though my review seems a bit negative, the biggest thing I can stress is self-education. I think potential PS VR buyers should absolutely strive to learn as much about it as possible before deciding whether to jump-in or not. PS VR is one of those devices where buyers remorse is a very real possibility at the moment.

Also I welcome VR owners here to share their own experiences with VR. The best way to convince people, short of strapping it on them, is sharing positive experiences enough to convince them to try it themselves.

Nice review. I bought it as wanting a new experience and I love it so far. Especially with DriveClub VR, however I understand that it's sub-par experience in terms of graphics when it comes to playing games on PS4 PRO.

Also, I think you are forgetting a major flaw for PSVR - it's motion sickness many players told me they have. It's defeinitely not for everyone. Also few friends reported head-aches, so I think you should put that as number 1 flaw.

Also, I think you are forgetting a major flaw for PSVR - it's motion sickness many players told me they have. It's defeinitely not for everyone. Also few friends reported head-aches, so I think you should put that as number 1 flaw.

I do mention these in the review a couple times, the adverse physical health aspects. But considering they aren't guaranteed negatives for everyone, I don't feel comfortable listing it as an outright flaw. Sony didn't design PS VR with the intention of inflicting health issues, it's just a by-product of the tech for some people.

I get motion-sickness myself in some of the faster paced games I tried, Driveclub and EVE for example. Games which match my own head movement though, like Summer Lesson, I didn't have a problem with that.